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SLO Fresh Catch

SLO Fresh Catch

Owner: Margie Hurd

Location: Arroyo Grande, CA

Margie Hurd has always been passionate about fish and fishing. When it came time to put her youngest son through college, she said "I think I'll start a CSF (Community Supported Fishery)." She also decided to sell fish at local farmer' markets. She rapidly gained a following of loyal clients who bought her just-caught fish and enjoyed the recipes she provided.

How SCORE Helped:

SLO Fresh Catch's Margie Hurd -

"I was a fumbling, frantic new business owner when a customer said, “Call SCORE, they can help you. An English major by education, I was overwhelmed by accounting. I never knew if I was making money or had enough to pay suppliers. Cash flow spiked and dipped like blood pressure—and mine was perpetually in spike mode.

I wanted financial security in the worst way. To the rescue came SCORE Counselors Carol and Bob Kerwin, two volunteer specialists in accounting. We met at my office (aka the kitchen table), and they guided me toward English major friendly solutions to accounting. They taught me how to close out the month, not with Quicken or QuickBooks. but by using the same homespun document we use for our family budget. They listened carefully, found out what was in my comfort zone, then customized this document for a business setting.

They even developed a simple computer program so I could track daily cash flow at the farmers markets where I sold fish. They were calm and seemed to understand the perspective of a non-accountant. And they didn’t do the work for me—they simply taught how to do the work in a manner which suited me best.

And I from then on, I always knew the daily, monthly, and annual cash flow. "